Where to spot polar bears in the wild; a new form of prayer plaque in Japan; touring Rome in the dark; and the other thing Transylvania is known for
|  | Friday, January 7, 2022 | | | | |
| In today’s newsletter, the best place to see polar bears in the wild; a new form of prayer plaque in Japan; touring Rome in the dark … and the other thing Transylvania is known for. | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPHS BY BEN REYNOLDS | | By George Stone, TRAVEL Executive Editor
In winter, the mind wanders even when the body can’t. Today I’m dreaming of the Alhambra, the grand, medieval palace and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Granada, Spain. This Moorish marvel was built by 13th-century Nasrid sultans, rulers of the longest-lasting and final Muslim dynasty on the Iberian Peninsula. With snow-capped mountains in the distance and terraced gardens all around, it makes for an idyllic escape—off-season or in the imagination.
This ancient city of sultans is one of our Best of the World destinations for 2022—for good reason. “Intricate mosaics, arabesques (a repetitive, stylized pattern based on a floral or vegetal design), and muqarnas (ornamental vaulting) make the Alhambra a masterpiece of geometric beauty,” says Manuel Mateo Pérez of National Geographic Viajes, our Spanish edition.
Of course, the allure of Granada reaches far beyond this hilltop citadel in the autonomous Andalusia region. “While one foot is in the past, the other is tapping out a modern beat [here],” writes Stephen Phelan in our article.
Besides its history of flamenco singing and dancing it’s a university town, forever replenished by students, a place where ultra-traditional tapas bars share bustling streets with contemporary fusion restaurants.” (Below left, Irene Urbistondo Molina stands outside her family’s 113-year-old basket shop; at right, tapas at Bodega Castañeda.)
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| Have you ever indulged in the experience of returning repeatedly to the same place? With a world to explore, it feels like a guilty pleasure. But when I was in Granada, I could not get enough of La Trastienda, a tiny tapas bar that dates to 1836 and is still tucked behind the counter of a butcher shop. Escaping winter rain outside, I drenched myself in sherry and jamón.
Back to the Alhambra, “a masterpiece of medieval engineering, but also of literature—poetry and philosophy expressed in dream-like architecture,” writes Phelan. “Verses, blessings, and ruminations were etched into its facades so the structure would seem to speak.”
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| It still does, across centuries, geographies, even the cosmos. The seven heavens of Islamic cosmology are represented by a constellation of more than 8,000 pieces of inlaid wood in a celebrated ceiling of Comares Palace. Sometimes a journey of the mind is as good as the real thing.
(Pictured, views from the Mirador de San Nicolás, overlooking Granada, at top; and above, at sunset facing the Alhambra.)
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| | Transylvania is known for … cheese, of course. The cheese made in this region of Romania is among the nation’s best. This image, from the grazing lands below the Fagaras Mountains, reflects a centuries-old tradition of sheep farming. Cheeses made from sheep milk also include the feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, and Italy’s Pecorino Romano and ricotta. If you go to Transylvania someday, don’t miss—no, not that—the flower-filled hay meadows. | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY ISTOCK PHOTOS, GETTY IMAGES | | A bid for recognition: It’s part man, part serpent spirit, and a significant symbol of everyday life in Laos. The naga tops temples and rooflines across southeast Asia and is an essential emblem on textiles. Laotians say it’s time the water god received UNESCO cultural heritage designation, Nat Geo reports. (Pictured above, naga forms decorate columns at Wat That Luang, a Buddhist temple in Louangphrabang.)
Traveling internationally? Have “contingency plans.” That’s the advice of the U.S. State Department as the Omicron variant spreads. Travelers should be prepared for lockdowns, quarantine, and testing requirements. Read the guidance in Travel + Leisure.
Get in for free: Most U.S. National Park Service properties offer free admission, but about 110 charge fees. NPS has five days in 2022 when entrance fees are waived nationwide, CNN reports. Parks have been wildly popular during the pandemic with long lines and congested trails. Want to avoid the crowds? Consider the least visited parks.
Rome in the dark? Even the most popular tourist sites can still hold secrets. An underground bike tour of buried quarry offers a new perspective on the Eternal City and its history, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
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Question of the week: Some airlines are giving travelers the option of paying a small surcharge to offset the carbon emissions of your seat on a flight. We’re doing a nationwide poll asking: Would you pay it, or have you done so already? Why or why not? Let us know here as well, and we’ll share the results and a few comments in an upcoming newsletter.
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 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY DIDIER ZYLBERYNG, ALAMY | | | Weighed down by worry? In Japan, small wooden plaques called ema carry prayers to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Japanese people long have used these plaques to ask the gods for love, wealth, long life, academic success, and now, protection from COVID-19. “They help lighten the soul by casting wishes to the breeze, in a way similar to Tibetan prayer flags, Buddhist votive tablets, and Asia’s floating lanterns,” Ronan O’Connell writes. (Pictured above, display racks of ema at the 1,000-year-old Kitano Tenmangu shrine in Kyoto.) | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMIE LAFFERTY | | Where to spot a polar bear: The population of massive predators is declining worldwide, but there are many places where they roam. If you want to see a polar bear in the wild, head to Kaktovik, Alaska. The town on the northern coast isn’t much to look at, Jamie Lafferty writes, but it’s the best place to see the animals without crowds or commercialism. (Pictured above, one polar bear doing what it does with surprising grace: swimming.)
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Correction: In yesterday's newsletter, we misstated the name of the award for valor that Eugene Goodman received for risking his life last Jan, 6 to divert the Capitol attackers from U.S. senators, allowing the politicians to escape. It was the Congressional Gold Medal.
When not staring at adorable images of polar bears, David Beard, Monica Williams, and Jen Tse edited and curated this newsletter. We’d love to hear from you at david.beard@natgeo.com. | | | |
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